Electronic counting and computing arrangement



Nov. 17, 1959 -`l. R. ACTON 2,913,628

' ELECTRONIC COUNTING AND COMPUTING ARRANCEMENT Filed July 19, 1956 V l DTA ,p

m; gm l l Lp vInventor JHN R. ACTO/V A lla'rney United States Patent O ELECTRONIC COUNTING AND COMPUTING ARRANGEMENT John Re ald Acton Kegworth near Derby England, i slslignor to Ei'icsson Telephones Limited l Application July 19, 1956, sean No. 598,819 11 claims. (ci. 31a-84.6)

The present invention relates to electronic counting and computing arrangements and particularly to such arrangements which include one or more gaseous discharge tubes of a type in which a plurality of electrodes of one kind are arranged equidistantly from a common electrode of another kind.

There exists adischarge tube in which a plurality .of cathode electrodes arranged a uniform distance apart are disposed equidistantly from a common anode electrode. There also exists circuit arrangements including such discharge tubes for counting electrical impulses. In such a discharge tube, a discharge glow investing one of the plurality of cathode electrodes is caused to move to another such electrode by way of two intermediate cathode electrodes in response to each impulse applied to the circuit arrangement in which the tube isincluded.

$uch arrangements suter from the drawback of sometimes discharges is produced in the discharge tube. The potential of the anode of such tube is-progressively reducedl as the number of discharges present in the tube increases, thus rendering unstable the value Aof the 'applied potentials necessary, on the one hand,^to`produce,further discharges in the tube, or on the other hand, tocause the rrbed therein, lw may be moved selectively at will, either separately r in synchro-l nism with each other discharge glow, fro one electrode to anotherv electrode by way of intermediate electrodes in response to electrical impulses.

According to my invention/I provvide' an arrangement for storing and counting electrical impulses in which each impulse causes a current conducting discharge to'be produced in a gaseous discharge tube containing an anode and a plurality of cathodes and in which the electrical potential at the anode of the said gaseous discharge'tube is maintained at a substantially constant' value' by at failing to operate satisfactorily when a plurality of least one asymmetrical conducting device at all such times that the tube is in a current conducting condition.

Again according to my invention I provide an arrangement for storing and counting electrical impulses in which each impulse causes a current conducting discharge to be produced inta gaseous discharge tube containing an anode and a plurality of cathodes and in which a discharge is caused to move from'a current conducting cathode to another cathode when the electrical potential at an adjoining cathode is made suitably more negative than the electrical potential at the said current conducting cathode.

This invention will now be more fully described with bulb.

reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a simple form of circuit arrangement embodying my invention. In such a circuit arrangement I provide a gaseous electric discharge tube DTD with an electrode assembly similar to that described in the aforesaid United Kingdom patent application Number 1324/49, and containing thirty individual cathode electrodes in additionl to a common anode A. The plurality of cathode electrodes are spaced a uniform distance apart in the form of a ring, and are arranged equidistantly from and around a common anode A. This discharge tube DTD differs from those described above in as much as each individual cathode electrode is provided with separate means of access to the exterior of the containing bulb and in consequence no electrodes are connected together within the In addition to such a multi-cathode discharge tube we provide three half-wave rectifying valves DTA, DTB and DTC for a purpose which will be described later. The anode of the multi-cathode discharge tube DTD is connected to the anode of each of the three half-wave rectifying valves DTA, DTB, DTC and is returned to a suitable source of positive potential, shown by means of battery symbol VD, by way of resistor R13 of some 10,000 ohms resistance. For the purpose of this description I will term ten of the said individual cathode electrodes iirst guide electrodes GA1 to GA10, a further ten will be vtermed second guide electrodes GBI to GB10 and the remaining ten will be termed cathodes and designate T, T2, T10. When so termed the individual cathode electrodes of which a part only are shown symbolically in the drawing, are

' arranged around the anode A in the order cathode T,

first guide electrode GA, second guide electrode GB, cathode T and so on in the same order. Each lirst guide electrode GA and second guide electrode GB is connected to a separate resistor in the range R40 to R59 whilst each cathode T is connected to a separate pair of resistors arranged in series R1/R21, R2/R22, etc. The resistors R40, to R49 connected to the iirst guide electrodes GA1 to GA10 are commoned together and applied to the. negative pole of a suitable source VA of direct current, the positive pole of which source is connected to the cathode of a half-wave rectifying valve DTA; similarly the resistors R50 to R59 connected to the second guide electrodes GBl to lGBI0 are commoned vtogether and applied to the negative pole of another Iconnected to the cathode of the half-wave rectifying valve DTC. In such an arrangement the potential of direct current sources VA and VB is of the order of 192 volts,

that of source VC is of the ord'er of 159volts, and that of source VD is in the region of 375 volts.

When the pressure and'content of the gaseous filling in the tubes, the spacing of the electrodes therein, and the value of the described resistors and sources of potential are all suitable, a discharge glow is caused to invest a selected cathode T in the multi-cathode tube DTD when a pulse of suitable negative potential is applied'to a junction point J of a pair of resistors R1/R21, R2/R22, etc. in series-with the selected cathode T. Such a discharge glow is moved by way of adjoining first-guide electrode GA and second-guide electrode GB to another cathode T when pulses of suitable negative potential are applied sequentially to the said guide electrodes GA and GB in that order by way of their associated resistors. When such sequential pulses are applied to the first guideelectrode GA and second guide electrode GB in that order the discharge glow will first move to the adjoining first guide electrode GA, and thence by way of the second guide electrode GB to the cathode T on one side of the first invested cathode T,l for instance from T, via GA, to T3. When however the said negative going pulses are applied to the second guide electrodes GB and first guide electrodes GA in that order the discharge glow will move first to an adioining second guide electrode GB then by way of a first guide electrode GA to a cathode T on the other side of the first invested cathode T. for instance from T2 via GBI and GAI to T1.

The described pair of negative-going sequential voltage pulses may be derived from a single sinusoidal voltage pulse of suitable characteristics modified in a manner similar to that described in the aforesaid patent ap plication or from other suitable pulse modifying circuit networks. ln the arrangement depicted on the accompanving drawing such negative going pulses are derived from two suitable direct current sources VE and VF which are annled to the tube by means of two switches SW1 and SW2. v

When a sinrzlfl discharge glow is produced in the multicathode tube DTD the operation and release in sequence of switches SW1 and SW2. causes the discharge to move from one cathode T to another cathode T. and current oi" a particular value fiows through the anode resistor R13, the discharge path in the tube. and the pair of resistors associated with the invested cathode T. and the potential at the anode A of tubefDTD is maintained in the region of a particlular value. Similarly there is no considerable change in the described current and potential values when the sequential negative going pulses are applied to the first cuide electrodes GA and second guide electrodes GB and current Hows through the resistor associated with each such guide electrodes in turn.

With one such discharge produced in a tube DTD and one cathode T invested by a discharge glow, a second discharge glow is produced and another cathode T invested by` the resultant glow `when a pulse of suitable negative potential derived from direct-current source VG is applied by way of resistor R14 to the junction point I of the two resistors in series associated with the second selected cathode T. Such a second discharge is moved to an adjacent cathode T by way of intermediate first guide electrode GA and second guide electrode GB when the described sequential negative going pulses are applied to the first and second guide electrodes in that order. The production of a second discharge does not affect the discharge first produced in tube DTD which is maintained and moved in synchronsm with the second discharge when the described pulses are applied to the commoned resistors associated with the guide electrodes GA and GB. The application of further pairs of sequential negative-going pulses in the same order will cause both the discharges in the tube DTD to move concurrently, and in so doing will cause a pulse of potential to be applied to an output lead OP when a cathode T, connected thereto by way of connecting points M and N and resistor R60, is invested by one or other of the discharges.

The production of such an additional discharge in tube DTD causes the current which flows therein to rise, tends to lower the potential at the anode A, and to raise the potential difference across resistor R13 in series with the said anode. Such changes of potential are undesirable as they render unstable the values of potential which are required to move the discharges from the cathode T they invest to other such cathodes. Thus it is desirable to maintain the potential at the anode A of the tube DTD in the region of an optimum value regardless of the number of discharges produced in the tube, or of the position of the discharges with regard t9 ih? individual elec- 75 trodes. For this purpose I employ three half-wave rectifying valves DTA, DTB, DTC as voltage stabilizing devices, and connect the anode of each valve to the anode A of tube DTD. The cathode of each such stabilizing device I connect to the positive pole of a source of suitable direct-current, and return the negative pole of each such source to one or other of the three groups of electrodes in the tube formed by the rst guide electrodes GA, the second guide electrodes GB, and the cathod T. As the potential at the anodes of the tube DTD tends to fall with the production of each additional discharge therein, it also tends to rise when a plurality of discharges in the tube is reduced in number. I therefore arrangey to maintain the potential at the anode A of the multi-cathode tube DTD at an optimum value in the region of the value which obtains thereat when the tube is provided with a predetermined maximum plurality of discharges. Such a plurality of discharges may be equal to the plurality of cathodes T in the discharge tube DTD.

For example, when tube DTD is provided with ten tirst guide electrodes GA1-GA10, ten second guide ele trodes GBl-GBl, and ten cathode electrodes T1T10, a maximum plurality -of ten discharges may be established in the tube, and it is arranged that the potential at the anode of each valve DTA, DTB, DTC and at the anode of tube DTD, and the potential` applied to the cathode of each valve DTA, DTB and DTC are such that the said valves are substantially non-conductive. When however, the discharge current in tube DTD is reduced in consequence of the extinction of one or more discharges the current through the resistor R13 is also reduced, and the potential at the anode A of tube DTD tends to rise above the optimum value. In these circumstances the valve DTA, DTB or DTC associated with the group of electrodes through which the discharge current flows is arranged to become conductive when the potential at the anode A of tube DTD rises, and the resultant ow of current through the effective valve and resistor R13 checks the tendency of the potential at the anode A of tube DTD to rise, and in so doing maintains the value of the potential in the region of the predetermined optimum value.

The described stabilizing eifect of the half-wave rectifying valves DTA, DTB and DTC -is maintained when the remaining discharges in tube DTD are caused to move from one cathode T to another by way of the intervening guide electrodes GA-GB, as each valve DTA, DTB, and DTC becomes conductive in turn when the discharge current flows through one or more of the groups of first guide electrodes GA1-GA10, second guide electrodes GBI; GB10 and cathode electrodes T1T10 respectively and in consequence maintains the potential of the anode A of tube DTD in the region of the optimum value.

The voltage stabilizing effect of the half-wave rectifying valves DTA, DTB, DTC is also maintained when the current through the discharge tube DTD is increased from its minimum value when a single discharge glow exists in the said tube. Any increase in the number of discharges in tube DTD increases the value of the current through the said tube, and through the group of electrodes invested by the discharge glow, and in consequence tends to reduce the potential at the anodevA of tube DTD. Such an increase in value of the current through tube DTD also tends to reduce the value of the potential at the anodes of valves DTA, DTB and DTC which are commoned to the said anode A of tube DTD.

Thus, when a second discharge glow is produced in tube DTD by the transient application of negative potential to a cathode T as described previously, the value of the potential at anode A and at the anode of halfwave rectifying -valve DTC tends to fall and causes a reduction in the value of the current through valve DTC; this in turn halts the fall in the potential value of the anode of tube DTD and holds it in the region of the de- (fying valves DTB scribed optimum value. TheV positive potential derived from the direct-current source connected to the cathode of each half-wave rectifying valve DTA, DTB and DTC determines the value ofthe said described optimum value.

On the application of `the negative-going sequential pulses derived from direct current sources VE and VF to trst guide electrodes GA and second guide electrodes GB, each discharge in tube DTD is caused to move lrst to its adjoining first guide electrode GA and thence to second guide electrodes GB, butl the potential at the anode A of the tube DTD is maintained in the region of the described optimum value as the half-wave rectiand DTC become conductive in turn, and in so doing hold the potential at the commoned anodes to a value determined `by`the value of the positive potentials applied to their respective cathodes from direct-current sources VA and VB.

The described voltage stabilizing action of the halfwave rectifying valves DTA,'DTB and DTC is effectively maintained without regard to the number of cathodes T1 and T2 etc. which are caused to be invested by a discharge glow, and remains eifective, when each such ,cathode T1, T2, etc. is so invested and the resultant plurality of discharges are moved from one cathode T to another cathode T in response to the' application of sequential negative going pulses to the irst guide electrodes GA characteristics of the sequential voltage pulses which are required to move the discharges in such a multi-cathode discharge tube remain substantially constant regardless of the number of the discharges which are moved thereby. Consequently,` when such sequential pulses are derived and second guide electrodes GB. Thus, the

from incoming electrical impulses, the characteristics of the incoming pulses likewise remain unchanged.

In such an arrangement in which a potential of the order of 60 volts is derived from eachl direct current source VE and VF, and a potential of the order of 192 volts is derived from direct source VG, the following resistor values have been found to be suitable: R1 and R10-2,700 ohms, R21 to vR30-3900 ohms, R40 to R598,200 ohms, R13 is 10,000 ohms and `R14 is 1,200

ohms.

My invention may be applied readily to many kinds of counting and computing devices, for example, some or all of the cathodes T in the multi-cathode tube DTD may each be connected to a separate source of impulses to be counted, and the periodic application of a pulse train to the guide electrodes GA and GB be adapted to move any Jdischarges' produced by such an impulse source to a cathode connected to an output lead. Such an arrangement may be adapted to collect and count impulses from a plurality of sources.

In another arrangement according to my invention, a discharge glow 'may be produced on some or all of the cathodes from one or more sources, and the sum represented by the pattern produced by the discharge glows may be transferred to one or more output' leads. In a variation of such an arrangement, the order in which the sequential pulses are applied to the guide electrodes GA and GB may be used to determine the` direction of movement ofthe discharge, and the movement of the discharge in one direction be adapted to apply a signal to an add output lead whilst the movement of the discharge in the reverse direction be adapted to apply a signal to a subglow is caused to traverse two guide electrodes in each 'smovement between adjacent invested electrodes, I do not wish to confine my invention to arrangements in- I/cluding such types of discharge tube, and in other arrangements embodying my invention I may include multielectrode gaseous discharge tubes in which each discharge glow is caused to traverse one guide electrode only in its movements between adjacent invested electrodes. In further arrangements, I may include discharge tubes in which a discharge glow traverses three guideelectrodes in each movement between adjacent electrodes which it is caused to invest.

It is one feature of my invention that a discharge may be caused to invest any of a plurality of cathodes in a multi-electrode dschargetube without regard to the investment by a discharge of some or all of the other cathodes; it is another feature of my invention that a discharge produced in such a tube may be caused to move independently from one cathode to another without eiect on the investment of one or more other cathodes by other discharges.

The application of my invention to other electronic circuit arrangements employing such multi-cathode discharge tubes will be readily appreciated after the simple arrangement described previously is understood. In one other simple counting arrangement, for example, it may be arranged that each cathode in such a discharge tube is connected to a separate pulse source, and the total number of glow invested cathodes give a visual indication of the number of pulses stored and counted by the tube within a predetermined period. At the conclusion of each such period the number of discharge glows produced in the tube could be noted and the visual display extinguished, for example, by disconnecting the anode from the source of positive potential. With such an arrange ment, in which each discharge produced in a tube is not moved from the position in which it was produced, one voltage stabilizer only is required.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and accordingly, it is 4desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses comprising a gaseous-discharge tube, electrode means in said tube 'comprising an anode, at least three separate cathodes spacedly arranged about said anode, a number of separate guide electrodes at least equal to the number of separate cathodes, said separate guide electrodes connected together' to form at least one guide electrode group, each guide electrode of which group is interposed between two adjacent cathodes; in combination with a direct current source, the positive potential of which is applied to said anode, means for applying at least one pulse to one of said cathodes and storing the strac output lead. Two or more discharges may be sistors may be commoned in selected groups to the plurality of sources of pulses; in such arrangements a plu-4 rality of discharges produced on one group of cathodes T may be causedto produce a signal-at one output pulse within the discharge tube in the form of a discharge glow between said anode and said last named cathode, means for applying at least one further pulse to one other of said cathodes and storing said further pulse in said discharge tube concurrently with said rst-mentioned pulse in the form of another discharge glow, and. means for causing selectively, at will, said discharge glows to move from their respective cathodes to next adjacent cathodes via at least one guide electrode.

2. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses, as described in claim 1, further comprising an output lead, and means for developing a pulse of potential at said output lead with .every change of potential at a determined cathode when the'latter is caused to become conductive by one of the aforesaid pulse applying means.

3. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses comprising a gaseous-discharge tube, electrode means in said tube comprising an anode, at least three separatel cathodes spacedly arranged about said anode, a number of separate guide electrodes at least equal to the number of separate cathodes, said separate guide electrodes connected Vtogether to form at least one guide electrode group, each guide electrode of which group is interposed between two adjacent cathodes; in combination with a direct current source, the positive potential of which is applied to said anode, means for applying at least one pulse to one of said cathodes and storing the pulse within the discharge tube in the form of 'a discharge glow lbetween said anode and said last named cathode,

means for applying at least one further pulse to one.

other of said cathodes and storing said further pulse in said discharge tube concurrently with said first-mentioned pulse in the form of another discharge glow, means for causing selectively, at will, said discharge glows to move from their respective cathodes to next adjacent cathodes via at least one guide electrode, and stabilizing means for maintaining automatically the value vof the potential at said anode of said discharge tube stable within a determined range of values at all such times that the tube is a in a current conducting condition.

4. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses as described in claim 3, wherein said stabilizing means comprise at least one electrically asymmetrically conducting device and auxiliary direct current potential source means connected to said asymmetrically conducting device.

5. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses as described in claim 4, wherein at least one of said asymmetrically conducting devices and one source of said auxiliary direct current potential source means are arranged in series and as a shunt relative to the irstmentioned direct current source.

6. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses as 'described in claim 3, wherein said stabilizing means comprise a plurality of electrically asymmetrically conducting devices, all of said asymmetrically conducting devices being connected to said anode, and each of some of said asymmetrically conducting devices being also associated with a different one of said guide electrode groups.

7. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses as described in claim 3, wherein said stabilizing means comprise a plurality of electrically asymmetrically conducting devices and auxiliary direct current potential sources therefor, one of said asymmetricallyonducting devicesl being connected in series with one of said auxiliary direct current potential sources and to said anode,

and another of, said asymmetrically conducting devices being connectedin series withanother of said auxiliary direct current potential sources and to said guide electrode group.

8. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses comprising a gaseous-discharge tube, electrode means in said tube comprising an anode, at least threev separate cathodes spacedly arranged about said anode, at least three separate guide electrodes connected together to form at least two guide electrode groups, one guide electrode of each group being interposed in successive order with the respective guide electrodes from the other groups between two adjacent cathodes; in combination with a direct current source, the positive potential of which is applied to said anode, means for applying at least one pulse to one of said cathodes and storing the pulse within the discharge tube in the form of a discharge glow between said anode and said last named cathode, means for applying atleast one further pulse to one other of said cathodes and storing said further pulse in said discharge tube concurrently with said tint-mentioned pulse in the form of another discharge-glow, means for causing selectively, at will, said discharge glows to move from f lcharge glows move therein, said stabilizing means comprising a plurality of electrically asymmetrically conducting devices, one of which devices is associated with said an'ode, and each of the remaining devices being associated with a guide electrode group.

9. An arrangement for storing and counting electrical impulses according to claim 8 in which the asymmetrical conducting device is in the form of an electronic diode.

1,0. In an arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses comprising a gaseous-discharge tube, electrod'e means in said tube comprising an anode, at least three separate cathodes spacedly arranged about said anode, a number of separate guide electrodes at least equal to the number of separate cathodes, said separate guide electrodes connected together to form at least one guid electrode group, each guide electrode of' which group is interposed between two adjacent cathodes; in combination with a direct current source, the positive potential of which is applied to said anode, means for -applying at least one pulse to one of said cathodes and storing the pulse within the discharge tube in the form of a discharge glow between said anode and said last named cathode, means for applying at least one further pulse to one other of said cathodes and storing said further pulse in said discharge tube concurrently with said rst-mentioned pulse in the form Aof another discharge glow, and means for causing selectively, at will, said discharge glows to move from their respective cathodes to next adjacent cathodes via at least one guide electrode, the improvement of stabilizing means for maintaining automatically the value of the potential at said anode of said discharge tube at a substantially constant value at all such times that the tube is in a current conducting condition, regardless of the number of discharge glows concurrently produced in said discharge tube and regardless of the manner in which said discharge glows are moved therein.

ll. In an arrangement for storing and counting electrical pulses comprising a, gaseous-discharge tube, electrode means in said tube comprising an anode, at least three separate cathodes spacedly arranged about said anode, a number of separate guide electrodes at least equal to the number of separate cathodes,J said separate guide electrodes connected together to form at least one guide electrode group, each guide electrode of which group is interposed between two adjacent cathodes; in combination with a direct current source, the positive potential of which is applied to said lanode, means for applying at least one pulse to one of said cathodes and storing the pulse within the discharge tube in the form of a discharge glow between said anode and said last named cathode, means for applying at least one further pulse to one other of said cathodes and storing said further pulse in said discharge tube concurrently with said first-mentioned pulse and in'the form of another discharge glow, and means for causing selectively, at will, said discharge glows to move from their respective cathodes to next adjacent cathodes in at least one guide' electrode, the improvement of stabilizing means for main.

9 1o glows concurrently produced in said discharge tubeland References Cited in the ile of this patent regardless of the manner in which said discharge g ows are moved therein, said stabilizing means comprising UNITED STATES PATENTS secondary direct current potential source means and at 2,618,766 Cowan Nov. 18, 1952 least one electrically asymmetrically conducting device 5 2,651,004 Acton Sept. l, 1953 connected with said source means. 2,651,741 Koehler Sept. 8, 1953 

